I've been coming here since i was little. Nothing ever changes, which is why i absolutely love it. It's a little slice of rockford if your visiting or coming home for a visit. Everything is prepared the day of, so fresh. The staff is and has always been so attentive. The Mai Tais are truly addictive and so dangerous! So fun for a birthday, or celebration for couples or big groups! Call ahead on the weekends though and plan on making a reservation. The also typically have 50% off of sushi during lunch. You can't beat it. read more

We had good service, great recommendations, great food with large quantities, with refills frequently on on drinks and our tea. Went there for lunch, and had to wait for a while to get in, as this place is popular at lunchtime. Dishes were reasonably priced. read more

This is one of my hubby's favorite... And as you know the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. There are two sides to this restaurant... A cafe side (full menu) and the grill side (small menu). There are also koi ponds which are running through the restaurants. We usually sit on cafe side, unless we bring our son, who is convinced he is going to be a chef here so he can get a red chef hat. The chefs are wonderful, most are really funny and good with entertaining bored kids by flipping food and creating volcanos from onions. Only down side is you come home smelling like smoke. The fried rice is awesome and so is the teriyaki chicken. I don't think it is on the menu on the grill side but you can ask for it. The onion soup is good but not much my taste. The salads ginger dressing is way strong for me but my husband often asking to bring some home (you can buy the dressing in containers). They have fun drinks in Buddha and coconut cups you can keep. They do a lot of sushi on the cafe side and friends that eat sushi (I do not) say it is great. There are tables And bar seating on this side but not a whole lot. The grill side has 8 people "tables" seated on grill tops with your "personal chef." Most of the time, unless we are with a large party, we get seated with another group. Make a reservation because this place gets packed with long waits. read more

AMAZING PLACE! JMK has always left us stunned! The food is top notch and always served up well! Even if you do take out the food travels well and never disappoints! read more

JMK Nippon Restaurant was a pleasant surprise. I ate on the cafe side of the restaurant. The tako-su (octopus in vinegar with a few other things) was quite good for an appetizer. The squid tempura was also tasty, although the squid was a bit too tender. The portions are generous and quite filling. I can't say much for their sushi. I tried a California roll and a spider roll. The California roll was average, but the spider roll was disappointing. It didn't actually seem to contain any softshell crab - instead it seemed to contain just artificial krab or something along those lines. Normally it contains soft shell crab, frequently with its legs dangling out of the roll. But at least the non-sushi items were pretty good for the midwest. read more

JMK Nippon - "Spider roll" - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Rockford's best sushi and teppan house hands down. And this place is HUGE!! Every sushi roll I've ever ordered here is delicious. The prices are exactly what you would expect at a sushi restaurant. The teppan is priced reasonable depending on your choice. I don't mind the price i pay for filet and scallops. It's just that good! And the chefs that prepare your meal are very entertaining. If you love sushi like I do you'll love JMK Nippon read more

Used to be superb. Now I don't believe it is anything special and certainly not a place to drive out of your way for. My son loves the grill side show. The decor inside grill area is amazing and the garden/prairie view from the dining room is great as well. Food and service are ok but nothing to rave about. read more

This place is awesome. Always the freshest sushi. My goto is the sashimi bento. I love it. We've been coming here for years. You can't get a bad meal here. The service is always top notch. Hana was our server. She knew just what to say when ask about the type of fish. She always had a smile. Wow this woman is fast, a true professional. Gosh she must have checked on us like 5 times at least. I love sushi. What keeps me coming back are the people and the prices and the food. True story. I've been discharged from the hospital with pneumonia (nothing you could catch) and came straight to JMK for the miso soup, feed my soul. Want a real kick in the tastebuds? Try a glass of Japanese plum wine it is so good. You can thank me later. I hope to see you there soon. You need sushi! read more

In Rochelle for a business trip and drove the 30 minutes to Rockford to have lunch here today. Absolutely did not disappoint in any way and I doubt I'll even eat dinner tonight as I am still full from all the amazing food. Started with some sashimi-salmon, tuna, and white tuna. I could have eaten just that alone. Also ordered a maki roll but didn't have any due to the rice #keto but my coworkers ate the whole roll. We then had a calamari app and it was like a steak, not fried little rings. I may never eat calamari the old way again as this was the best thing I have ever tasted. Followed that with a chicken hibatchi lunch with lots of grilled veggies. I didn't even remember to take pictures of the food because I was enjoying every bite. Hands down some of he best food I have had in a while and the staff was super friendly and accommodating. read more

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I would give a star because the food is good but the service sucks, I've never been disappointed with the service before. It took 15 minutes for them to notice us and and another 20 minutes for our order to arrived we only ordered 2 bento boxes and it took a long time. Never coming back again. Not worth it! read more

I went here with a group and was highly disappointed with the experience overall. We had reservations for 6:30pm and ended up waiting over 20 minutes before even getting seating. Once we were seated, the service was terrible pretty much the entire time. We had to wait for the server to even come over and take drink orders, drinks took forever, food orders took forever. There was also a table next to us that got seated after our group but somehow was waited on and received all their food before us. I understand it is busy on a Saturday evening, however don't book groups if you don't have the staff to support it. We were there for over three hours start to finish because we had to keep waiting on everything. Even getting our credit cards back from giving them to the server to pay was another 20 minute process. And the food was OK however I was not overly impressed. I also ordered two different cocktails, a mai tai and a geisha drink and they were both definitely lacking. Maybe they use cheap liquor I have no idea. But for what they charge here, I do not think I would ever come back. read more

Was kinda disappointed when we went there. The waitress seemed lost the chef wasn't very friendly and his presentation was not what I remember. Prices seemed much higher and food was just ok. The vents above the hostess counter were absolutely disgusting. Not what I remember from the past. read more

We were excited to finally go to JMK. We had 7:00 reservations, but by 7:30 we were hungry and decided to take a table in the dining area - green room I think. We were given a table with 2 forks and a pencil which was odd. No napkins or anything else. We ordered calamari as an appetizer, sesame chicken and prime steak. Soup and salad came out and we had to go up and ask for napkins. Our dinners came out, but no appetizer or rice. Our waitress informed us that the appetizer comes out with the dinner, but she actually brought it after we were served. The rice came out after our dinner was served also. Then, at no fault of the restaurant, a patron decided to take a heated phone call over by our table where he continued to talk loudly and swear frequently. We asked for our check and left. The food was marginal at best. Will not be returning. read more

JMK is our favorite restaurant for a celebration! The food is always fresh and of exceptional quality. The chiefs are entertaining and meet any requests for preparations. We always enjoy our experience at JMK!!+ read more

My fiancé and I have been looking for a good sushi restaurant since we moved to Illinois from California. We decided to try JMK. Luckily we made reservations for this place because it was packed (on a Saturday night). The koi pond in the front gave the restaurant an upscale feel. We ordered the Chirashi sushi, a rainbow roll, and a handful of different nigiri. The Chirashi sushi was a good deal. You get 8 different types of sashimi, miso soup, salad, and sushi rice for $15.50. The sashimi here was better than many at other Japanese restaurants we have tried in Illinois. The main complaint was that we found a bone in one of the sashimi slices and the waitress just shrugged it off. I don't think she even bothered to tell the chefs. The rainbow roll was a major disappointment. The cucumbers inside the roll were unpeeled and resulted in a tough texture. The salmon on the rainbow roll was smoked salmon instead of normal salmon, and there was one type of fish on the roll that was sooooo fishy, we couldn't bring ourselves to eat the rest of the roll. As for nigiri, we ordered sweet shrimp, tamago, yellowtail, and tuna. Those were all pretty good and they even placed a small dab on wasabi under the fish (usually a sign that the sushi chef is pretty legitimate). I'd come back to order the Chirashi sushi and just watch out for bones. I will definitely skip their rolls in the future though. read more

Been going to JMK since the 90s and remember the old location off of Mulford. The food is alway 5 stars, but unfortunately the service has been inconsistent the past few visits. Sat on the Masa side today and got to listen to the wait staff's entire conversation for a good 15 minutes. Obnoxious may be a bit strong but not too far from the truth. Some of the staff are lacking in the hygiene department. Take pride in what you do and try to add to the experience. Not take away from it. Also, never check your tips while in view of the customers. Not a good look. read more

It is our favorite date night dining and the food is always amazing. We go once a month just to get out and get our sushi and steak fix.

I've been going to JMK for almost 10 years and can genuinely say I've never had a bad or inconsistant meal. Best restaurant in Rockford.

JMK has the best sushi in Rockford. They have delicious drinks and a beautiful restaurant. I always love dining here when I am in town. They also have a nice patio if you'd like to eat outside. read more

Such delicious food, and wonderful atmosphere. The staff is just great. Thank you to waiter Justin for awesome service!

After giving this place many tries I have yet to be impressed. Not sure why this place gets the hype it does. I had the grill side once and the only seasoning used was soy sauce right out of the bottle. Portions at the grill side were small compared to typical hibachi restaurants in the suburbs. The only good thing I can say about the sushi is that the fish was fresh. The rolls are huge, but that means nothing when they are very poorly rolled together. Not a great experience to take a bite of sushi and the whole piece falls apart because it's too big to eat in one bite (which is how sushi rolls should be eaten). read more

Don't get your hopes up that they'll answer their phone. Has happened too often where I can't get through, they will actually pickup and hang up after one ring if I try calling back repeatedly. Food is great, vibe is great dining in. Just crappy customer service for carry out. read more

I typically love Nippons so it is disappointing to have to write this review. We went there tonight for my daughters 14 th birthday. I told the server it was her birthday and we talked about it more than once. When we finished our meal she ordered a dessert. When the dessert arrived, no candle, no singing, no Happy Birthday just nothing. If someone takes the time to tell you it is their birthday you should at the least say Happy Birthday. We will not be going back anytime soon. Also would like to add that 4 of us ordered chicken and it was sub par . Birthday girl order filet and it was yummy. read more

JMK = great night. Every single visit I've had at JMK has been a memorable one (except that one time I blacked out after taking too many saki bombs and performed a sluggish version of tiny dancer to a crowdless room). This is a beautiful place from the inside and out. The restaurant is divided into 2 sections- the teppanyaki side where the chefs perform while they cook your food right in front of you, and the bar/sushi/ karaoke room. We always come in a big group (make reservations) and we start in the bar area with a drink or two while waiting for everyone in our party to arrive. Once seated we like to wager on what color hat our chef will be wearing. The chefs can read the personalities of the table and they feed off of your vibe- its perfect . I love to order the "dinner for two" meal to split with my bf. We always upgrade to the filet. It's plenty of food and it's a decent price. PS, the yucky yucky sauce is better than the yummy yummy sauce in my opinion, so don't discriminate. The fried rice is the most delicious fried rice I've ever consumed. Why do I always drool when writing reviews? After dinner we grab a table in the karaoke room. Guaranteed to be a good time. Can't wait for my next visit! read more

Fantastic sushi! We did not get over to the hibachi side, though sat in a high-ceiling modern asian style room. The waiter was not too helpful in choosing what to eat, though was very prompt with drinks and our food choices. If you do not want to wait, sit in the grill and for-go the hibachi. You are not missing too much, other than the fun flare of eating teppanyaki style. If you are a first timer, try the box? Its on the front page of the menu and gives you quite the line up of food choices. A little bit of everything, soup, salad, an entree, four california rolls, fruit. DELICIOSO. Will be returning. Possibly hit up the karaoke....after a few "karates" read more

The sushi is alright and they have a nice lunch special deal but the teppanyaki is horrid. I love egg yolk sauce/golden shrimp and I asked for it at this restaurant. They charged me extra for it and when it came out, it was *awful*. It was almost painful to eat. The last time I went there, I ordered fatty tuna sashimi and it didn't taste very fresh. They accidentally gave me two pieces and only charged me for one so no hard feelings, I guess. read more

This restaurant is probably one of the most beautiful I've seen, on it's own property, with alittle koi pond outside beyond the deck. The lobby is beautifully decorated by golden robes and a cute little boardwalk. There are two sides to this restaurant, you can get the showey side where the cook/chef throws around shrimp tails and cracks eggs, or the menu/sushi side. I've been to both. I don't really give a shit about looks of a place, but this place is soooo pretty! But the food...? The sushi isn't great. Barely good, that's it! The rice was unflavored when we went, and it's always about the rice. You F up the rice, you might as well forget it and 86 your sushi, bitches. Whatever they serve as fatty tuna has no flavor. I think it's a lie on a menu. On the other side, I must say they make really good fried rice. The other stuff was eh, but the fried rice stood out. I want to love this place, but food wise, 2 stars. One extra star for such a beautiful restaurant. read more

My wife and I went there in a Friday night to get food at the sushi bar. We got some sushi and the udon soup. The udon soup was amazing but the sushi was sub par. The next day my wife and I got extremely sick from the food. For two days we where incapacitated with chills and constant bathroom runs. So we called the restaurant and talked to the manager who had no empathy for our situation at all. He stated that there was no way that we could of got food poisoning from JMK and said that he eats the sushi all the time and has not gotten sick. What an jerk response. Don't waste your hard earned money here. read more

Scorpion roll is excellent. Sitting on the sushi bar side usually cuts down on the wait and will help avoid walking out smelling like hibachi. They have some of the best chicken fried rice I have ever eaten. The surf n turf roll is very interesting and a great roll to share. The Shrimp and or steak dinner for 2 is a little bit expensive but very, very good. If you really want the best epicurean experience here, upgrade the steak to a filet and add garlic. Sooooooooooooooooo good. Additionally, they do the hibachi thing, with the flames and throwing meat in the air and what not. Its pretty cool. There is also a discounted lunch sushi menu, particularly attractive to someone who wants to try a variety of rolls. On top of doing the hibachi thing and great Japanese food, the waitstaff and management is really excellent. It is always overstaffed, meaning you almost never find yourself wondering where your waiter is. I would highly recommend JMK to someone looking for restaurants in rockford. read more

The food on the habachi side of the restaurant to me is a little bland. I don't enjoy the grill top food here too much. I usually just come here for their sushi! Their sushi is slightly a little pricier then other sushi spots but it is so worth it. My favorite has to be the crunchy roll.! Usually during lunch, they have specials or discount on sushi. they have a nice little bar and a tv in there. and even a karaoke room! read more

This was described as one of the nicer dining establishments in Rockford, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Four of us stopped in on a Sunday night and had no wait to get a table. We sat in the cafe part which was a little more quiet and intimate than the teppanyaki area of the restaurant. The waiter was attentive and courteous all night without hovering around. I had the tonkatsu (breaded pork with a mustard-bbq-soy sauce) and also had some of the sushi the table shared. The pork was tender and the breading was crunchy without being too greasy. The smoked salmon, spicy tuna, and caterpillar rolls all got rave reviews from the table. It came out to under $40 a person with dinner and drinks, which was a lot less than I expected. read more

Sushi are huge and had interesting twist. We ordered four different sushi rolls. The Nabeyaki udon is delicious. We come out of the restaurant for less then 30 dollars per person after tax and tip. The wait staff is extremely attentive. read more

Just bad customer service and poor phone etiquette. The people working the front desk look miserable and there is no enthusiasm when greeting customers or seating them. A few times I ordered pick up was the most uncomfortable and unpleasant experience, from the phone call to actually coming in. And the food is just ok..... read more

Always fresh sushi and hot food. Very consistent and always clean . A real classsy venue

I ordered sushi rolls for pickup and when I got home my order was wrong. I called JMK, my call was transferred to the manager Sean. I explained what was wrong and he said "What do you want me to do about it" . I said a credit or a corrected order would be sufficient. He said the best he could do was give me 10% off on my next order if I ordered the identical item. This is completely unsatisfactory! He was zero help and we will no longer spent our hard earned money at JMK. read more

I have been to JMKs for years and always more than satisfied. Tonight our reservations were for 7:30 and we didn't leave the place until 9:45. The service was the most horrible service ever! Javier needs to think about another career, because waiting tables is not his area of expertise. While the food was good, Javier killed the night. Losing a credit card is not acceptable! Have to think twice about coming back. Too bad JMK, you were always on of my favorites! read more

Enjoyable, great atmosphere. Great price for this type dining. The chefs are amazing & do the egg trick of tossing it up & breaking it on a knife, without breaking it in 1/2. We haven't seen that in years! Awesome! Food is great, well prepared. Plenty of parking. Cool rock garden, zen garden, koi ponds, decor. read more

I come here a lot, with family and we know the owners, family friends; but that doesn't matter--we are in Masa side and we have tea, the tea cup is by far hideous, it's dirty on the handle, and when you open the lid, on the edges it's dirty, beyond miles. No the service from our hostess; she's just not trying, she walks sluggish, like she doesn't care, like she doesn't want to be here. I'm sorry princess but it's your job, you get money out of this. Be happy. I see the other waitresses and they are all happy, smiling and interactive. Our hostess, a huge frown, an agitated face--go back inside get yourself together and come out. Now the tables, clean but I can still feel the muck, from past times. Food- it's good as always. No complain there, I always get he same when I come here, Everything. Clean. But the bathrooms could use some touch up once in awhile throughout the night. read more

One of my favorite places to have lunch. Every time we come to visit the area we make sure to stop here and have a lunch. The good is always delicious and the sushi is fresh. Great atmosphere. Highly recommend. read more

1) The lunchtime Bento Boxes on the cafe-side are good, but that's about it. They have surprised me with the quality of the Hirame (which is hard the get right in The Midwest), but that's not a regular occurrence. The only reason we come back is the lunchtime bento boxes and 20% off sushi. 2) This is, by far, the hippest, trendiest, flashiest, most stylish Teppanyaki/sushi place in Rockford, but unless you're in a first date/Prom Night/trying to impress, it's not a good thing. 3) The cafe/sushi side seems to be an obligatory add-on (although a hip & trendy add-on), that serves sushi, but not a real "Sushi Place" read more